Photo image tranfer, collage
This work was inspired by a relative who has spent his entire adult life passing for white and it questions the very definition of "white" itself. There are millions of Americans who appear to be "white" but who in fact have some African and/or Native American ancestry. Some hide this ancestry, others are unaware of it. Most who knowingly "pass" do so primarily because of their belief that they will have a better life in this country as white - "better" financially, materially and socially, that is. There are many, like my relative, who while they are financially better off, suffer spiritually and emotionally for having left the love, community and history of their true families behind.
This artwork depicts what is going through the mind of the patriarch of this family while he is steadily passing for white. He missed his mother's funeral and alarmingly, his son's hair is beginning to curl!